Alberta pulls funding for mental health service provider

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An organization that has been providing transitional mental health services to Albertans in Ponoka County says the province has pulled their funding without any reasoning.

The Ponoka Rising Sun Clubhouse, located 107 kilometres south of Edmonton, has been providing transitional supports for those in the county and surrounding area for more than 30 years. But on Feb. 14 the organization said it received notice that the ministry of mental health and addiction would be terminating their funding on April 30. The funding was supposed to go to Sept. 30, 2026.

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Christine McNeill, board director and chairwoman of the Ponoka Rising Sun Clubhouse, said it is solely funded by the government — receiving $312,761 per year — and without funding they will have no choice but to close their doors.

“The board as a whole is very concerned for the well-being of this vulnerable population. Should the clubhouse be forced to close its doors the amount of people that this is serving, and being told that there isn’t any money in the budget for it, is unacceptable,” McNeill said.

The organization currently services 150 members in Ponoka County and surrounding areas like Lacombe. It mainly provides transitional services, including but not limited to patients who were discharged from the Centennial Centre for Mental Health and Brain Injury to transition away from hospitalization.

Amanda Henderson-Kada, the executive director of Ponoka Rising Sun Clubhouse, said since 2020 it also provides some housing to those who need more stabilized supports, employment opportunities, educational supports and social services.

“There is no other services and programs such as ours that can be provided within our community for discharged patients,” Henderson-Kada said.

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“My ask of minister Williams is to really look at our program base, aside from the numbers, to see what it actually is that we’re providing for services, programs and supports for our community, for discharged patients and transitional patients, and to have a willingness to rectify this decision.”

Mental Health and Addiction Minister Dan Williams said funding decisions are made through Recovery Alberta, the new mental health and addiction organization. He said Recovery Alberta’s “focus and mandate” is on clinical services for psychiatric illness.

“Of course, there’s a need for wraparound and continuing services and when you look at services offered, it really does fit very well in grants you could get from culture for continuing supports, or you could also look for transition supports into the workplace through (the ministry of) Seniors, Community and Social Services and minister Nixon, and that’s where I encourage them,” Williams said.

“I’ve met with the town of Ponoka and am obviously very happy to support where I can, but this was a Recovery Alberta decision.”

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McNeill said the organization is set to meet on Friday with the Ponoka mayor, councillors and MLAs. Recovery Alberta was invited to attend as a final effort to rectify the funding decision.

Williams said it will be up to Recovery Alberta on whether or not it will attend Friday’s meeting.

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X: @kccindytran

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